What's In A Pan?

2 days ago, I was asked by a friend for a recipe that I make each time I visit Lotts Creek School, in Hazard, Kentucky. After sending it to him, I decided to share it with you readers and it's posted in the preceding entry. It's important to know the history of the dish. After all, each of us has asked about the origin of so many things.
Since childhood, my Mom has always made what she called, "City Chicken." (I never DID learn whence the title). They kind of resemble a chcken leg...maybe.
In our old neighborhood butcher shop, you could get 4-5 inch wood skewers that were pointed at one end. The butcher would sell chunks of pork and veal that measured approximately 1-1/2" cubed and package them all together. Mom would alternately attach the pork and veal onto the skewers, bread them, lightly brown in a black, cast iron frying pan and then bake until tender. She'd normally serve them with mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and corn. I nearly forgot to mention the homemade bread! If you could walk away from the table, you obviously didn't eat enough.
Nowadays, it's rare to find cubed veal, and sometimes, ANY veal. Some butchers continue to offer cubed pork with skewers, but you won't find that everywhere. That being the case, I've adapted to what's available.
When skewers aren't available, I utilize clean, plastic grocery bags, as explained in the actual recipe. When I'm REELEE pressed for time or just lazy, I buy whole, boneless country/western style pork ribs.
Please try the recipe...you just might like that other white meat.
After all that, we're back to, "How did City Chicken get that name?"
Well, Virginia, I must admit, that I shall go to bed tonight, still not having a clue.

Boneless Country/Western Style Pork Ribs

A friend asked for the recipe, so I thought I'd share...

Instructions are for 1 pack (8 Pieces) of country ribs
Don't trim the fat because you can make gravy from the juice or use it as I explain below
Use tongs for handling meat

Pre-heat the oven to 350

Break 3 eggs in a bowl---shells go to compost
Add 4 tablespoons of milk or cream to the eggs and stir with fork until well blended

You can use separate bowls, 1 for all-purpose flour and 1 for Italian bread crumbs
Use 1-1/2 cups of each
To save time, I like to re-use clean plastic grocery bags

From left to right, bag of flour---bowl of eggs---bag of bread crumbs

Rinse the ribs very well. No need to dry
Place into flour and shake until all are well covered
Remove 1 at a time, with tongs and dip into the egg mix until totally covered
Place into bread crumbs and shake until all are well covered

I like to use a large, black iron frying pan, preheated with good oil (I like virgin olive oil)
I use tongs to prevent loss of the bread crumb coating
Fry in oil until bread crumbs are light brown and flip so both sides are the same

Place ribs into a roaster or Pyrex bowl and make certain ribs don't contact each other
If they touch, the breading will come apart
Cover the roaster or bowl with foil or lid and place into 350 pre-heated oven
Bake at 350 for 1 hour
Lower oven temp to 160 and let it bake 'til the goats come home (minimum 4 hours)

When done, carefully remove with tongs or egg flipper, as meat will be soft
And there ya have it!
***************************************************

Most times, there will be left-over fixin's, so I combine all and stir with a fork or whipper until well mixed. You might need to add a few drops of milk at a time until the mixture is creamy enough to pour, like pancake batter. Add a soft banana or 2 and mix. Fry like pancakes.
You can use the frying juice for these or do it separately.

YUM!!!

Christmas for Whom? (Short List)

Shoppers everywhere

We still have the homeless

Reservations only at the fine restaurants

We still have the hungry

Mega holiday bonuses

We still have less than minimum wage

Palatial homes being built

We still have the foreclosures

Millions of acres with no crops

We still genetically alter corn

We outsource billions

We still have the jobless

We build nuclear plants

We still have very few windmills

We have pork barrels galore

We still have tax inequity

We began our country with God in mind

We still try to remove Him from everything

Somewhere, "Merry" took a wrong turn

We need to get "her" back on track

To all and to those who would remove tidings from this time of year,

Merry Christmas!

Things I Think About When I'm Not Thinking...

Imagine a conversation between Ducky, the Medical Examiner on "NCIS" and Cliffie, the Mailman from "Cheers."

He said WHAT?!? On yesterday's news, (11-30-11), Congressman Trakas from Ohio said he was not going to back Mr. Cain's run for president. Reason? He opined, "If Cain lied about an affair, who knows what else he might have lied about?" Now, ain't THAT a hoot!

Ever so slowly, our communication skills are becoming extinct. There's talk of eliminating longhand penmanship lessons from schools. I always marvel at some styles of handwriting that unintentionally resemble calligraphy. Gone will be that beauty. Texting, Twitter, Tweet and God knows what else has abridged most words...no wt ahm sayn? We're losing words because humans are more lazy. Example: classified ads and craigslist say, "Needs moved." I think they mean, "Needs to be moved." Needs fixed, needs cleaned, ad nauseum. As short as it is, et cetera is now being typed "ect."

While I'm on that rant, "And also" is effing redundant! Seems as if there's a new "tag" with each season. The current cutie is to end many sentences with, "as well." Did the schools move English and Composition to the tailgate parties?

Remember when you'd be on a date or a family trip and get lost? Remember dad's refusal to ask for directions? Remember the ensuing arguments? Remember how they became table topics of laughter after filling up on the Sunday supper? As Bobbie in Sebastopol says, "You're making memories." Well, you can kiss THOSE memories good-bye in a generation or two...GPS has pulled the trump card. Robotics eliminate emotion, people!

Whose 3 watt idea was it to build white collar prisons? When I get to be king, right after outlawing stairs, amongst other things that rile most people with common sense, we'll cancel the IRS; every lobbyist will be drafted to manually dredge the Panama Canal; limit political commercials to 15 seconds that may be aired no sooner that 30 days prior to the election; all elected officials and appointees with terms of 2 years or more MUST undergo an annual performance review. I could go on and on...couldn't I? Seems we've allowed the dumbocrats and repulsivecans too much leeway.

I like to read the comics section in the morning. Odds are something will strike the giggle bone and get your socks on the right feet for whatever slams you during the day. Some comics aren't funny. It's just that they're on the same page and that's not a bad thing. They're a lot like Aesop, fast forwarded. One question though...is there anyone more nosy than Mary Worth? She just can't leave anyone or anything alone!

Can anyone exhale more profoundly than Tom Selleck? God, he does that so well!

By the way, all these entries and photos on all my blogs and emails are copyrighted, so, you may not use them without my explicit, written authorization and approval.

Gotta run...people to see and things to do...."as well." (SHEESH!)

Need Product Information, Please

These 2 beautifully carved statues are gracefully decorating a portion of my home, having been acquired from a lady who relocated out of state. I've enjoyed them for several years and it's now time for someone else to enjoy them. On the bottom of one is a label that reads, Valentino, Italy. Another label has a bar code. I've not been able to find more info. A kind reader did tell me that these are no longer sculpted and she presumes the factory is out of business. Top item is approx. 16" tall and the other is approx. 20" tall. The appearance makes them seem lightweight, but that's offset by their density.

The camera doesn't show the superb detail...it's exquisite! All natural, carved from marble dust while others refer to them as reconstituted marble.

They needed to be cleaned when I purchased them, but I did not make any attempt, for fear of damage. To be fully appreciated, I would suggest a thorough, proper cleaning by the new owner.

If anyone can provide further information, that would be humbly appreciated.

If anyone would be interested in welcoming one or both into a new home, that also would be nice!

Packing and insurance will bear additional fees, but a local pickup in Ohio would preclude those.

Questions answered based upon available information. Reasonable offers considered.

Thank you!

Raindrops keep fallin' on my everything

Rain, rain, go away

Come again some other day

Rain, rain, go away

Bring my love a sunny day

Along the shores of Lake Erie, we've received so many drops that even Noah was Noawhere to be found! Last night at approximately 6:20 PM, we broke the Ohio record for annual rainfall that had been set in 1990, and...there are still 71 days remaining in 2011. So much for Seattle, eh? To celebrate(?), there was to be a parade, but all the floats got washed away!

I harvested sunflowers today.....

OhmyGod-OhmyGod-OhmyGod!

Eeny-Meenie-----

Eating a smile's worth...

The Book ALWAYS Has More Detail Than The Movie

Awhile back, I wrote about my old war buddy's daughter, who should be everyone's reference for Eat, Drink, Be Merry in San Francisco. She digs deeper than the CIA...She has more detail than an IRS computer and more humor than a week of monologues on the Letterman show. And if THAT'S not enough, she tells the truth!
Since then, she has gotten published........YOWZAH!

The book has the facts, got it? GOOD! Now...GET IT!!!
The Title: the tablehopper's guide to dining and drinking in san francisco
The author-ette: Marcia (rhymes with Garcia) Gagliardi (pronounced Gahl-YAR-dee)

Sign up for her FREE weekly perspectives at: http://www.tablehopper.com/

Mangia and CIAO!!!

Seeking Information

Click on any photo for a larger view

I've done some heavy searching, but have had minimal success. I'm hoping someone can educate me on this knife. All I've discovered is that it was manufactured by Coltelleri Riunite, a Knife Cooperative. The logo can be seen at the base of the blade. Under the logo is TRIANGOLO. Measurements are as follows:

Total length: 9-1/8"

Handle length: 5-1/4"

Wood only length: 4-5/16"

Weight is 6.0 ounces

What might seem to be a lanyard at the top of the handle is actually a blade release lever. When the blade is full opened, it locks. To close the blade, you flip the lever toward the blade and push until the blade unlocks, thereby allowing it to close.

Before you know it.........

Random thoughts pass through the mind on a gray, rainy day on the shores of Lake Erie. At this time of year, gray skies can be a constant, causing depression in those who have relocated, let alone the natives.
While randomly thinking, it occurred to me that it's been quite awhile since my fingers tapped upon the keyboard to update my blog. Upon opening the page, my reaction was, "GEEEEZISS!" So very l-o-n-g. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
Time, along with evolution, can pass with little notice. Friends move, your favorite teevee show gets cancelled and just when you understand your owner's manual for the car, it's time to get a new model.
Electronics probably are a-changing most frequently. I've heard that the manufacturers already know what we'll be using 5 years hence, but restrain themselves because so few of us would comprehend all the changes. (Im not one of the few)
I keep a record of all my accesses and passwords should I wake and not remember whose head dented my pillow. Thufferin thuccotash...there are 29...TWENTY-NINE!!! Who the heck has 29?!? Granted, most are infrequently used, ergo, the written record. Chances are, if you counted YOURS, you'd be MORE amazed! Own up...can you instantly recall your library password?
Now that I've somewhat cleared my conscience, I must check my emails.
Where DOES that time go?